Guard device



Nov. 17,1942. E. J, DOWNE'S 2,302,533v l GUARD DEVICE r A Filed April e, i940 ,4 7' TOR/vf: Y

Patented Nov. 17, 1942 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE GUARD DEVICE Edward J. Downes, Albany, N. Y;

Application April 6, 1940, Serial No. 328,276

fl Claims.r (Cl. 3.8-8)

My invention particularly relates to a guard device for ironers of the flat press type. Ironers of this type are used for ironing flat pieces or articles such as towels, pillow cases, tablecloths and the like.

In laundries, flat press ironers are comparatively large machinesV and the articles to be pressed therein are fed in at one end and the finished, ironed laundry comes out the other end on a wide belt, usually formed of fairly heavy" duck material. These machines are quite wide so that one or more operators may be used both at the feeding and receiving ends thereof. The belt of the pressing machine passes over heated rolls and, at the receiving or discharging end;4 l

thereof, the belt passes the last or cast-0E roll and then returns over other suitable rolls, including tensioning rolls, toward the front of the machine. It it quite easy for an operator to insert her handbeneath the end roll about whichiv the belt passes and to have it become caught between the belt and the adjacent roll over which the belt passes as it leaves the end roll.

It is, therefore, the primary object of my present invention to provide a guard device disposed adjacent the end or cast-off roll, about which the conveyor belt of the ironer passes, which guard will in no way affect the normal operation of the machine but which will prevent an operator from inserting her hand sufficiently far beneath the cast-01T roll that it vmay become ycaught between the belt and a roll of the ironer. Another object resides in providing a guard device of the foregoing character which will function not only to prevent the hand from becoming caught in the frolls of the ironer but which will also prevent wedging of the hand between the guard device itself and the belt passing over the cast-off roll of the ironer.

With these and other objects in view, my in- Referring to the drawing, a belt I, which may be formed of duck material and of appreciable width, passes from the receiving end of the ironer with the articles thereupon through suitable, heated, ironing rolls to the discharge end of the machine in the direction indicated by the arrow 2. It is customary to remove the laundered flat articles from the belt l as it approaches the end or cast-off roll 3 about which the belt passes. The belt then travels in its return path toward the front or receiving end of the machine from the roll 3 over intermediate rolls indicated at 4, 5 and 6. These rolls are heated to a high temperature and if the hand of an operator were extended beneath the roll 3 and caught between the belt and roll 4 itwould be severely burned.

The guard device of'my invention indicated generally at 1 is arranged adjacent the belt on the roll 3 and is so designed that it will substantially restrict the insertion of a hand between the belt and the guard device while, at the same time, if a hand or the fingers thereof shouldY be inserted therebetween they may be readily withdrawn without injury.

In order to obtain results of the above character, the guard device I is formed with'a flexible lip arranged adjacent and, preferably, in such close proximity to the belt on the roll 3 that adequate clearance is provided while a hand cannot be inserted therebetween without flexing the lip. Otherwise, except for the flexible lip thereof, the guard device is practically inexible and sufciently so as to prevent a hand from being 1nserted between the belt and guard device to such extent that it might become caught between the belt and roll 4 of theironer.

However, should the fingers of the hand be inserted through inadvertence between the guard and roll 3, they may be readily withdrawn due to the ilexibility of the lip of the guard which lies adjacent the belt on the roll. The lip,'furthermore, is preferably resilient so that ordinarily it will lie in the position illustrated in full lines in thedrawingand,

in the event it is flexed, will again assume this position.

In the embodiment illustrated, the guard device 1 is mounted upon a table 8 and comprises a strip S of suitable, substantially inflexible material, for example, wood or metal, which is secured to the table 8 and extends generally longitudinally of the roll 3. To the strip 9 is fastened a strip lil of flexible, preferably resilient material which extends upwardly beyond the upper edge of the strip 9 to form a flexible, resilient lip disposed with the end thereof in close proximity to the belt on roll 3. I have found that strip lil may be formed of fairly heavy felt which is flexible and yieldable say of a thickness order of approximately 0.5" and it may be fastened to the strip 9 by means of screws H arranged at spaced intervals along the length of the strips.

The strip elements 9 and I0 are preferably arranged substantially radially of the roll 3 and the upper end of strip 9 is so spaced from the belt on roll 3 that it is practically impossible to bend the flexible lip of element I0, which extends thereabove, inwardly over the end of strip 9, as indicated in dotted lines at We, suliiciently to permit an operators hand to be inserted beneath the roll 3 to such an extent that it may be caught between the belt and roll 4. On the other hand, should the fingers, of an operator, pass between the guard device and the belt on roll 3, they may be readily withdrawn because of the flexibility of the strip I0 and since it may be compressed or bent away from the belt on lroll 3 and freely flexed outwardly as indicated in dotted lines at IOb.

It will be understood that various mea-ns may be employed to provide my guard device with a flexible lip adjacent the roll and belt passing thereabout whereby to prevent injury occurring to an operators hand if inser-ted therebetween while rendering it of such inexibility in the zones thereof remote from said belt as to prevent it from being inwardly flexed to a degree suflicient to enable a hand to lbe inserted between the Vguard and belt and caught between the belt and the next succeeding roll.

While I have described my invention in its preferred embodiment, it is to be understood that the words-which I have used are words of description rather than of limitation. Hence, changes within the purview of the appended claims may be made without departing from the true scope and spirit of my invention in its broader aspects.

What I claim is:

1. In an ironer of the character described, the combination with a roll and a belt, adapted to convey laundry, passing about said roll, of a guard element extending longitudinally of said roll and substantially lcoextensive therewith; `said element having a flexible and yieldable lip -disposed i-n closely yspaced relation to the belt on said roll but being otherwise substantial-ly inflexible and the inilexible portion off said element being so spaced from the belt on said roll that the hand of an operator cannot be inser-ted to a substantial degree beyond the `zone of adjacency of said belt and lip while the lip of said element will be sufliciently flexible to permit the hand to be withdrawn if caught between said belt and guard element.

2. In a device of the character described, guard means adapted to be mounted in longitudinally extending relation to a roll having a belt passing thereabout and with one end of vsaid `means adjacent and in closely spaced relation to said belt; said means comprising a flexible and yieldable portion adapted to be positioned adjacent said belt and being of such flexibility that an operators hand may easily bend said element away from said belt and a substantially inflexible portion adjacent said ilexible portion but so spaced from said belt when said means is operatively positioned relative thereto that the hand of an operator cannot be inserted to a substantial degree beyond the zone of adjacency of said flexible and yieldable portion and said belt while said yieldable portion is suiciently exible to permit the hand to be withdrawn if caught between said guard means and belt.

3. In a device of the character described, a guard element adapted to be mounted in longitudinally extending relation to a roll having a belt passing thereabout and with one end of said element adjacent and in closely spaced relation to said belt; said element having a flexible and yieldable lip-like portion at the end thereof adapted to be positioned adjacent said belt and of such flexibility that an operators hand may easily bend said portion away from said belt but said element being otherwise substantially inflexible and the inflexible portion thereof being so spaced from the belt when said element is operatively positioned relative thereto that the hand of an operator cannot be inserted to a substantial degree beyond the zone of adjacency of said belt and said lip-like portion while said liplike portion is sufficiently iiexiblle to permit the hand to be withdrawn if caught between said element and belt.

4. In a device of the character described, guard means adapted to be mounted in longitudinally extending relation to a roll vhaving a belt passing thereabout and with one end of said means adjacent and lin closely spaced relation to said belt; said means comprising a substantially inflexible element adapted to be arranged adjacent but in spaced relation to said belt and a flexible and yieldable element fastened to said inflexible ele ment, said flexible element extending beyond the edge of said inflexible element and being adapted to lie in closely spaced' relation to said belt when said means is operatively positioned adjacent said belt; said inflexible velement being so spaced from said belt when said means is operatively positioned adjacent said vbelt that the hand of an operator cannot be inserted toa substantial degree beyond the zone Yof adjacency of said belt and said flexible element `while said l t ilexible element in the zones thereof between said 

